Mixer.



L. A. THOMAS.

MIXER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 1907.

Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET L Suva tot J I LA. 27mm Patented Apr. 13, 1909.

3 8HEBT8-8HEET 2.

L. A. THOMAS.

MIXER.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 14, 19o7.

llllllll HIII llllllllllll IIINI ll ll ll llll 15 'vide means which will feed the materia to ouis a. THOMAS, or AURORA, IQWA.

MIXER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented April 13, 1909.

Application filed May 14, 1907. Serial No. 373,629.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOUIE A. THOMAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aurora, in the county of Buchanan and State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Mixer, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for mixing concrete and other cementitious or analogous material.

The primary object is to provide simple means ofa novel nature, whereby the proportions of the material may be readily altered at any time without stopping or interfering with the o eration of the machine.

A further and important object is to rethe mixing mechanism, and will pass large lumps and masses without in uring or breaking the feeding means.

A still further object is to provide novel and effective stirrin mechanism, which can be adjusted and held in different positions in order that the highest degree of efficiency can be secured.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawwherein lgure 1 IS a top plan view of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the delivery end of the machine. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the intake end. Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view on the .line 66 of Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view through the ma chine. Fig. 8 is a detail section showing one of the sets of gears of the speed varying mechanism. Fig. 9 is-a similar view showing another set of gears. 10 is a detail sectional view on the line 10-1O of Fig. 1.

Similar'referenee numerals designate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

' In the embodiment illustrated, a suitable bed-frame 11 is employed, on which are mounted spaced end walls '12 connected by a tie rod 13. Between the end walls is located an open ended rotatable mixing drum 14, the open ends of which are closed by the walls 12. Said drum is provided with peripheral flanged tracks 15; and guide rollers 16, j our naled on the tie rods 13, operate on these tracks. Other rollers 17, mounted on the bed of the machine, also engagethe tracks 15. A driving shaft 18 is journaled in boxes 19 r the teeth of a rack 29 suitably adjacent end wall. A stirrer shaft 30 is.

carried by the bed-frame, and has a pinion 20 in mesh with a gear ring 21 fixed to an intermediate portion of the drum. The shaft 18 is driven from any suitable source of power connected thereto b belting or other gearing, a belt pulley being shown at 22.

A su porting shaft 23, journaled in the end walls 12, passes centrally throu h the drum, and dependin from said shat, are links 24 and 25, the lmk 25 constituting one arm of a lever 26. The lever has asuitable handle grip 27 at its up er end, and it is adapted to be held in di erent positions b a dog 28 carried thereby and en aging wit ed to the journaled in the lower ends of the links 24-25, and is thus disposed at one side of the axis of rotation of the drum. This stirrer shaft, as shown in Fig. 7, extends lon itudinally within the drum, contiguous to t e walls thereof, and has secured thereto stirrer blades 31, which 006 crate with saidwalls. The rear end of the s aft extends through adischarge opening 32 formed in the rear end wall 12, and this opening, as shown in Fig. 3, is of considerable extent. It will also be observed b referenceto Fig. 3 and to Fig. 7 that the ever is located outside the drum, and that the projecting ends of the shafts 23 and are geared together, by a sprocket chain 33, which passes around sprocket wheels 34 secured to said shafts. The opposite end of the supporting shaft 23 projects through the other end wall 12, and carries a sprocket wheel 35 around which passes a sprocket chain 36, this chain passing around another sprocket wheel 37 fixed to the driving shaft 18. The sprocket chain 36 furthera more passes around a suitable idler 38 located on the opposite side of the machine.

A hopper 39 is located at one end of the mixing mechanism, and is divided into compartments 4O and41 by an intermediate par tition 42. The bottoms of the compartments 40 and 41 communicate with the up per sides of conduits 43, havin discharge ends that extend throughthe a jacent end wall 12, as shown in Fi 7. These conduits are substantially circu a1 in cross section, but have upstanding portions forming inclosed relief channels 44. Feed screws 45 operate in the conduits, and have shafts 46 and 47 projecting therefrom. A third shaft- 48 is disposed alongside the shaft 47'.

' A driving sprocket chain 49'passes around a wheel 50 fixed to the third shaft 48 and also around a sprocket wheel 51' fixed to the screw shaft 46. This sprocket chain is also engaged with a sprocket wheel 52 fixed to a sleeve 53 that is loosely journaled on the driving shaft 18, and has a gear wheel 54 fixed to it, as shown in Fig. 10. The gear wheel 54 meshes with a pinion 55 on a countershaft 56, and said shaft carries another gear wheel 57 meshing with a pinion 58 that is fixed to a clutch member 59, also loosely journaled on the driving shaft 18. A cooperating clutch member 60 is fixed b a key 60 to said driving shaft. The clutc member 59 is slidable longitudinally upon the shaft 18, this sliding movement being controlled by a suitable hand lever 61 adapted to be locked by a latch 62. It will thus be evident that the driving chain 49 can be clutched to or unclutched from the driving shaft 18, and its movement thus controlled independently of the mixing mechanism.

The screw shaft 47 is driven from the third shaft 48 by speed varyin mechanism, and this mechanism is preferahly constructed as follows. A set of gear wheels 63 ofv difierent diameters is secured to the shaft 47 and a set of oppositely arranged ear wheels 64 is fixed to the adjacentthird s aft 48. Swinging arms 65 are mounted on the shaft 47, and journaled on said arms are idlers 66 that are in mesh with the gears 63. These arms are capable of independent swinging movement, and conse uently if one set is moved downwardly, the ldler gear 56, carried thereby, will be moved into mesh with the corresponding ear 64 of the shaft 48. On the other han whenthe arms 65 are raised, the idlers 66 will be out of mesh With'the gears 64. The movements of the different arms are controlled by levers 67 fulcrumed at their lower ends, as shown at 68 and having link connections 69 with the outer ends of such arms 65. Holding dogs 70, pivoted to the outer ends of the arms and links are arranged to bear upon a rest bar 71, when the arms are elevated, and thus maintain them in their elevated position. At the same time, it will be evident that by swinging any one of the dogs 70 away from the'rest bar, the arms supported thereby, can be lowered, thus carrying the idler 66 thereof into mesh with its coacting gear 64.

The operation of the machine briefly described is as follows: The sand and cement or other materials to be mixed are separately placed in the hoppers 40 and 41. If now, power is applied to the shaft 18, it will be evident that the drum 14 and the stirrer will be rotated. Furthermore if the clutch member 59 is thrown into coaction with the clutch .member 60, the driving sprocket chain- 49 will also be operated. Therefore this shaft with its screw will be rotated. The sand or gravel is preferably placed in the hopper 40, and will be fed by the screw 45 into the mixer. The cement is placed in the hop er 41 and the roportion thereof to the san gravel or the like can be readily altered by swinging any one of the levers 67 downwardly. Thus for instance if the first lever 67, as shown in Fig. 8 is swung downwardly, a comparativel r large driving'gear 64 will operate a small riven gear 63 on the screw shaft 47, and the speed of such screw will be substantially that of the screw 45.

On the other hand, if the lever at the opposite end of the set is depressed, then, as shown in Fig. 9, a small driving gear 64 will operate upon a large driven gear 63, and as a consequence, the screw will be rotated at a much slower rate of speed. The material fed through the conduits 43 will be delivered into the drum, and all large masses, such as lum s of cement, stones, and the like, which wou d be apt to clog and break the screws will be forced into the channels 44 and thus find their way into the mixing drum without injuring such screws. The material in the drum is first subjected to a dry mixing action by the stirrer blades 31 in the adjacent end, but as the material passes along through the drum, water is sprayed thereupon through a pipe 72 that extends longitudinally into t e rear end of the drum from any suitable source of supply, the flow being controlled by a valve 73. During its passage through the drum therefore, the material is thoroughly mixed so that when it finally reaches the discharge opening 32,

it is in condition to be used. The position of the stirrer it will be observed can be readily altered by swinging the lever 26 and looking it by means of the dog 28 and rack 29. Thus said stirrer can be located at a point where it will operate with the highest degree of efliciency. From the foregoing, it is thought that the construction, operation. and many advantages of the herein described invention mechanism connected to one feed screw, :1

gear wheel operated by said driving mechanism, another gear Wheel connected to the 65 inasmuch as the shaft 46 is. geared thereto, i other feed screw, a swinging arm having its idler j ournaled on the arm and meshing with a of a hopper located in spaced relation to one scribed, the combination with spaced staeating the shafts, means for rotating the mined position.

.locate in the conduit and having its upper scribed, the combination with a rotary drum, 55

axis of. movement substantially coincident with'the axis of one of the gear wheels, an

said gear wheel, said idler being movable into and out of mesh with the other gear wheel on the movement of the arm, and means for holding the arm in a predeter- 2. In mechanism of the character ,set forth, the. combination with a mixing drum,

end of thejdrum, of a feed conduit leading from the bottom of the hopper to one end of the drum and being substantially circular in cross section, said conduit having a covered channel in its upper side that is of less width than the condult and communicates with the ho er and the drum, and a feed screw side below the channel.

3. In mechanism of the character detionary end walls, of a tie rod connecting the end walls, a rotary mixing drum located between 'the end walls, guide rollers for the drum-journaled on the tie rod, means for rotating the drum,.and means for feeding material into one end of said drum.

4. In. mechanism of the character set forth, the combination with a mixing drum, of a rotary stirrer located in the drum at one side of its axis, means for rotating the stirrer, and means for moving the stirrer to different positions in the drum while maintaining said stirrer in coaction with the means for rotating it. 1

5. In mechanism of the character set forth, the combination with a mixing drum, of a rotary stirrer located in the drum at one side of its axis, means for rotating the stirrer, and means for secur'm the stirrer at different positions about the axis of the drum while maintaining the stirrer in coactiou with the means for rotating it.

6. In mechanism of the character described, the combination, with a rotary drum, of a shaft extending longitudinally therein, another shaft hung from the first shaft and having stirrin means, said first shaftbeing freely rotatab e in and with respect to the hanging means, means forrotating the drum, and means for rotating said second shaft.

7 In mechanism of the character deof ashaft extendin longitudinally therein, another shaft loose y hung from the first shaft and having stirrer blades, gearing condrum, and means for rotating the first shaft to thereby effect the rotation of the second shaft.

8. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a rotary drum, of a shaft extending longitudinally therein another shaft hung from the first shaft l adjustable with respect thereto, said second shaft having stirring means, and means for rotating the drum and effecting the rotation of the second shaft.

9. In mechanism of the character described, the combination with a rotary "drum, of a shaft extending longitudinally therein, rotary stirring mechanism loosely suspended from the shaft and permitting the free rotation of said shaft, and means for rotating the stirring mechanism.

10. In mechanism of the character set forth, the combination with a supporting shaft, of a drum mounted thereon, links deendin from the shaft, a stirrer journaled 1n the Iinks, means for swinging the links, and means for rotating the stirrer. 11. In mechanism of the character set forth, the combination with a su porting shaft, of a rotary drum surroun ing the same, swinging links depending from the shaft, a stirrer shaft journaled in the links and located in the drum at one side of its axis of rotation, stirrer blades carried by the stirrer shaft, gearing connecting the supporting shaft-and stirrer shaft, and means for rotatin the drum and the supporting shaft. 12. I n mechanism of the character set forth, the combination with a rotary drum, of a supporting shaft extending centrally therethrough, links dependin from the supporting shaft, one of said lin s constituting a lever, means for holding the lever indifferent positions, a stirrer shaft journaled in the links and located longitudinally in the drum at one side of its axis of rotation, stirrer blades carried b the stirrer shaft and coacting with the wa is of the drum, gearing connecting the sup orting shaft and stirrer shaft, a driving s aft, gear connections between the drivmg shaft and drum, and gear connections between the driving shaft and supporting shaft.

13. In mechanism of the character set sprocket chain driven by the drivin shaft and connected to the supporting s aft, a

ho per having separate compartments, condults leading from'the compartments, and delivering into the drum through one of the end walls, said conduits having longitudinal relief channels, screws operating in the conduits and havin shafts projecting therefrom, a driving sprocket chain, a gear connecting walls, a rotary said chain to the driving shaft, said gearing 5 as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signaineluding a clutch, gearing connecting the I ture in the presence of two witnesses.

chain and one of the screws and gearin con- 1 nesting the chain and the other screw? said LOUIE THOMAS 5 latter gearing including speed varying mechi Witnesses:

anism. I W. L. FRY,

In testimony,' that I claim the foregoing FLORENCE VVEEKS. 

